Pro Wrestling Love vol. 40: Best of US Wrestling 1977-1982 (Ric Flair, Jerry Lawler, Nick Bockwinkel)

Hey Yo Stud Muffins & Foxy Ladies,

Pro Wrestling Love vol. 40:

The Best of US Wrestling 1977-1982

(Note: Excludes WWF & Portland)

Objective:  Break up the Greatest Match Ever Project (hosted at http://gweproject.freeforums.net/) into more manageable chunks to help me build my Top 100 List for the project.

Motivation: Contribute to the discussion around these matches to enrich my own understanding of pro wrestling and give a fresh perspective for old matches and even hopefully discover great pro wrestling matches that have been hidden by the sands of time.

Subject: This fortieth volume of Pro Wrestling Love is the beginning of the Top 12 countdown of the best matches to take place in the United States between 1977-1982 (excluding World Wrestling Federation and Portland). The WWF during the Bob Backlund Era has already been covered and I will do a separate series on “Playboy” Buddy Rose and Portland at a later time. Footage from this era is very hit or miss. There is almost nothing from Mid-Atlantic, World Class or Mid-South, things do get better in 1982. The AWA is heavily clipped in this era. From Memphis there is a good amount of stuff from 1981 and 1982 and much of the list is comprised of Jerry Lawler and his work during these years. The bulk of the findings are thanks to Bruce Tharpe and the NWA Classics On Demand streaming service that uncovered a treasure trove of wrestling matches from Houston. By 1983, there is plenty of footage to treat each major territory separately and before 1977 there is a real dearth of footage so that is how the time period was selected.  You can revisit past Pro Wrestling Love Volumes at ridingspacemountain.blogspot.com. You can check out the full version of these reviews in ProWrestlingOnly.com by going to the forums and finding the folders associated with the date of the match.

Contact Info: @superstarsleeze on Twitter, Instagram & ProWrestlingOnly.com.

Greatest TV Angle of All Time! RIP Lance Russell, the GOAT

Honorable Mentions

NWA Mid-Atlantic Champion Wahoo McDaniel vs Greg Valentine - JCP/MACW 9/7/77

NWA United States Champion Ric Flair vs Blackjack Mulligan – MACW 10/23/78 Texas Death 

NWA United States Champion Ric Flair vs Ricky Steamboat – MACW 11/78

The last two are from Jim Cornette’s Garbage Tapes. They are too clipped to give a fair rating, but do not let that stop you from watching. We get twenty minutes of Flair vs Steamboat in 1978. In 1989, Flair was forty. You get to watch Flair when he was thirty. It is interesting. He is actually less bump ‘n’ run and more about being ruthless on top. The Blackjack match is pure babyface vs heel awesomeness in a brawl setting. My takeaway is the greatest match of all time happened somewhere in the Carolinas in the late 70s and we just never saw it. The Wahoo vs Valentine match is a classic blood feud match than needs to be seen.

NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair vs Jerry Lawler - Memphis Wrestling 8/14/82

Southern Heavyweight Champion Dutch Mantell vs Jerry Lawler - Memphis 3/27/82

These two matches are two of the best TV angles ever to take place in wrestling. They are up there with Flair vs DiBiase from Mid-South and Lawler vs Dundee from October 1985. I cant do either justice. Both are just totally gripping, compelling standalone episodes of TV. If you watch nothing else list from this list, watch these match, but you have to watch the promos too!

Jerry "The King" Lawler vs Dory Funk Jr. - Memphis 3/30/81

Jerry Lawler vs Crusher Blackwell – Memphis 5/4/81

AWA Southern Heavyweight Champion Nick Bockwinkel vs Jerry Lawler - Memphis 10/18/82 

With a dearth of Ric Flair & Nick Bockwinkel footage in this time period, Jerry Lawler was truly the King of US Wrestling. The Lawler vs Dory match is so damn good and would totally make a Top 15 for this time period. It is very different than Lawler’s classics with Dory’s brother Terry, but just as entertaining. Lawler vs Blackwell is a dream match for 80s wrestling fans. The ultimate underdog babyface against the best big man of the 80s. I implore you to watch the October Bockwinkel vs Lawler match because it is a great lead in to the better November ’82 rematch.

AWA World Heavyweight Champion Nick Bockwinkel vs Ricky Morton - Houston 7/2/82

Jack Brisco vs The Spoiler - Houston 7/27/79

Houston uncovered a lot of great classics, but two of my favorites are these. Bockwinkel vs Morton is the dream match you didn’t know you were dreaming of until you see it on paper. As soon as you do, you are just salivating. It is great, but I will say if this was Morton in 1985 or 1986, this would have been gangbusters because he would have just had that much more credibility here he is the wet behind the ears, white meat babyface rookie. To me The Spoiler was the big revelation of the Houston footage. An imposing big man heel that is very athletic and agile, years ahead of his time, check out this match with Jack Brisco to see what I mean.

NWA Int'l Jr. Heavyweight Champion Gino Hernandez vs Chavo Guerrero - Houston 5/22/81

Gino is a red-hot heat-seeking heel in this. He literally has to fight his way to the ring. I love the babyface vs heel dynamics in this. Chavo throwing all that heel shit back in Gino’s face is glorious and all the bombs at the end feel like a big All Japan match. Check this one out!

NWA World Heavyweight Champion Harley Race vs Wahoo McDaniel - Houston 2/10/78

NWA World Heavyweight Champion Harley Race vs Andre The Giant - Houston 1/7/79

Houston footage explosion allowed us to finally see Harley Race as the NWA touring champion against a host of opponents. I am not the biggest Harley fan as I think he is pretty uncharismatic in the ring and his match tend to lack struggle and focus too much on bump ‘n’ run. However, these two matches stand out as Wahoo is willing chop the hell out of him and Andre just has amazing psychology. The Harley/Andre match is the most famous to come out of the NWA Classics and I recommend checking it out.

Harley Race vs Kerry Von Erich - WCCW 6/4/82

NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair vs David Von Erich - WCCW 10/11/82

In 1982, World Class was setting the table for their banner year in 1983. The Harley vs Kerry match is a great babyface coming of age match as Kerry gets his big win over the former champion to set up his very famous clash with the current world champion, Ric Flair in August of ’82. It felt like Kerry had arrived. Even though reports keep telling me that David was being groomed to be the star of the family, I just don’t believe. Not only did Kerry have the better look, he was the better all around wrestler too. Still, if you want to see David’s best match, it is this one here against the Nature Boy.

Southern Heavyweight Champion Jerry Lawler vs Bill Dundee - Memphis 8/15/77 Hair Match
A worthy addition to the 1980s Loser Leaves Town Trilogy between these two perennial rivals. There is an interesting wrinkle in this match. Dundee is the babyface and Lawler is the heel. I think that dynamic suits them even better. The undersized Dundee being so scrappy is a naturally likeable character though Lawler is such a great seller, but Lawler did manage a way to fit that in the beginning of the match. Typically awesome War of Attrition style match from these two and as you would expect excellent punches are thrown. After a restart, you need to see Lawler's furious flurry of punches they are simply awesome. The last match cut and it was a tough one. 

Top Twelve Matches of US Wrestling 1977-1982

#12. (Tie) AWA World Heavyweight Champion Nick Bockwinkel vs Jumbo Tsuruta 

Hawaii 2/14/79

I watched this years ago and have totally forgotten it. My only memory is that I liked it a whole lot. I loved the ceremony before the match complete with laying. It makes it feel Big Time!
 

First Fall: We lose about 5 minutes due to a clip. Bock and Jumbo are jostling for position and Bock pops him with an elbow in the ropes. Bock makes a big show that is legal because it was an elbow, but that's not the point. It was not a clean break so Jumbo is pissed and his fist ball. Bock is backpedalling and asking the ref to make Jumbo open up the fist. The next time in the ropes, Bock pops him again, but he lingers and Jumbo fires back to a huge pop. Yeah this match is pretty badass.   Jumbo works the arm for the majority of the match using holds such as armbar, hammerlock and double wristlock. Bock is the one creating the movement in the match but Jumbo is being tenacious. Solid work. In the double wristlock, Bock starts working over the midsection with punches and eventually he makes in-roads and Jumbo goes down. From there, it is just a textbook clinic from both men. Bock is using big kneelifts and stomps to keep the challenger at bay while Jumbo writhes in pain. He drives his face hard into the top buckle. Jumbo bounces back with a big punch. Here comes Jumbo, no more holds, it is all about blows to the face and European Uppercuts. He wants the Buttefly Suplex to end it, but he hoists the champion up twice but cannot get him all the way over. That must have been painful for Bock. Bock rakes the eyes. Lots of good heel offense by Bock here throwing him into the buckles and the ropes and choking. He throws him out. You are going to get some classic King of the Mountain. Jumbo comes roaring back! The crowd goes crazy for Jumbo as he kicks ass. He goes for the Big High Knee in the corner, but crashes and burns, knee-first into the buckles. Bockwinkel is brimming with confidence now. He works over the knee to set up the figure-4. I love how they go back and forth on the reversals. It is not just one reversal and done. It is a struggle. A struggle that Jumbo ends up losing. Excellent first fall. Bock 1-0!

Second Fall: Rocks just as hard as the first fall. I love that Jumbo is selling the leg the whole time even if Bock has abandoned the strategy mid-way through this fall. Bock picks right up where her left trying to apply the figure-4. This would have spelled the end for Jumbo but he chops his way out of trouble from his back. Bock settles for an Indian Deathlock, but Jumbo flips to his back and chops to break the toehold. Jumbo starts to mount his comeback. I like that the control segment begins with the Boston Crab (a Jumbo favorite) and that leads to more attacks to the back rather than the Boston Crab being the final hold. This is when the selling gets really good. You have Jumbo collapsing after every move and Bock staggered. I loved the Atomic Drop and then the abdominal stretch and they collapse into the ropes. Bock has been a great heel in this match. He really sells Jumbo's offense well but like a heel. It is a way that does not elicit sympathy but rather makes you want to see more. Bock abandons the knee, but Jumbo keeps selling. Bock decides to go to his favorite spot: King of the Mountain and it is a good one. Bockwinkel really knows how to ratchet up the heat and be a nasty heel. Not a lot of spots/moves in this match, he is out to inflict pain to the head. Eventually, Jumbo turns the tables from the low ground and drapes Bock over the apron and starts dishing out some punishment. The crowd is pumped. Irish Whip! Is he going to go for the High Knee again? Nope, he has learned and is too injured. He settles for smashing Bock's head into the buckles so much that he comes up bleeding! Jumbo is pouring it on. Butterfly Suplex! 1-2-NO! C'mon ref that was three! Slow count and you were out of position! Abdominal stretch and Bock passes out from the pain! Wow I think that is the first time I have seen the ab stretch get a fall in anything. They built on the strong foundation of the first fall and delivered a second fall. Bockwinkel is giving such a great fundamental heel performance. Flair is a speedball, but here Bock is relying on selling and character work rather than bumping to convey that Jumbo is kicking ass.  Bock is not trying to show he is a great wrestler in this match. The majority of his offense is driving Jumbo's head into the turnbuckle. He is not trying to be the hero or the cool wrestler. He is a heel's heel. Jumbo got everything you want from a babyface fire and selling. Really strong stuff! Tied 1-1

Third Fall: This reminds me so much of Flair vs Kerry. Bock is beaten, battered and bloody slumped by the ropes. The difference is Flair is so loud and Bock is understated, but the point is the same the heel champion is in serious trouble. I like Bockwinkel's strategy of staying by the ropes at all costs. Any time he is free to move, he is moving towards the sanctuary of the ropes. Jumbo wants his Butterfly Suplex, but settles for a piledriver! His knee gives out and he struggles to cover. 1-2-NO! Huge nearfall and the Hawaii crowd bites on it hard! I dont know why Jumbo convulses right there bit over the top. Atomic drop, but on the bad knee. Abdominal Stretch! This is how he won the second fall. Bock clubs the ref! BOOOOOOOOOOO!

It is 1979 so the shitty finish was expected, but regardless this is tremendous. Great understated performance by Bock where he was not trying to be cool just trying to survive. Heel selling is a lost art and more heels should watch this match and Bock in general to see how you can sell in such a way that you invite the fans to want to see more. It is a classic championship style match that takes you on a great roller coaster ride.

#12. (Tie) Southern Heavyweight Champion Dutch Mantell vs Jerry Lawler

Memphis 3/29/82 Barbed Wired

Interesting reaction at the beginning as there are clearly Mantell fans in the audience and they are vocal. I had been reading that Mantell was not treated as a true heel and many fans agreed with his stance even though he did employ nefarious tactics. Heels fans in 1982??? Shades of gray booking??? Just more proof that Memphis was way ahead of its time.

The barbed wire is not around he ropes ala Funk/Sabu, but rather around the outside the ring in order to keep Dutch in the ring and prevent him from getting chairs or taking it to the outside. The idea at the beginning is to really put over how he barbed wire has changed the complexion of the match. Both men are trying their damnest to avoid the barbed wire and there are a lot of barbed wire teases. This has led to a match that has a more cautious beginning with even some wrestling. Adding a stipulation they forced them to layout a new match. This what so many bookers/wrestlers don’t understand about stipulations they should exist for a reason and then be treated differently. Also, Lance Russell articulates these statements so well for the home viewer facilitating their understanding. They do a nice even-stevens should block sequence, which Dutch surprisingly wins with a Thesz press, which gets two, but gives Mantell control. On this go around, I did find this section a bit dull at time even if it was logical.

Of course, Mantell is able to use the barbed wire to slice Lawler wide open on the forehead in particularly gruesome fashion. Russell informs me that he is wearing the crimson mask. Lawler misses on a desperation, wild right due to his vision being blurred by the blood, good spot. A desperation right boot finds it mark in the corner and Lawler IS UP! He immediately exacts retribution by slicing Mantell open on the barbed wire and then attacks the cuts with a series of right leaving Dutch to beg off. Crowd is going wild for Lawler until Dutch clips him south of the border and the Dutch fans start cheering. Lawler blocks a suplex attempt only to hit one of his own. They trade missed elbow drops. LAWLER SCORES WITH A PILEDRIVER!!! However, the tape clips after the pinfall to Mantell back in control. BOOOOOOO! We miss about five minutes at the beginning and I think overall we miss somewhere between 8-10 minutes of action.

Lawler comes charging out of the corner and spears Dutch. It sounds like a simple spot, but you have to see the power and velocity that Lawler got this late into the match that really made that spot look so cool. Lawler misses a fist drop and Dutch takes over with lefts and rights. Wait, what is this, Russell notes that Mantell is losing steam on his punches. Has Dutch punched himself out? Lawler pulls the strap down. O, it is one like Donkey Kong. Slugfest erupts and Lawler has a little more behind his punches than Dutch and wins that battle. This fuckin feels like the 12th round of a heavyweight boxing match, some real good shit right now. Dutch does a less comical Flair Flop. Mantell cant even stand, but still kicks out. Lawler punches Mantell while he is on the ground, but he loses steam and yes Lawler has now punched himself out. They run off the ropes and collide both ending up worst for wear. THIS IS A FIGHT!!! Both punch each other simultaneously sending Dutch down and Lawler on Jell-O legs finally collapses. Both men are selling exhaustion like champs. Dutch tries to bodyslam Lawler, but he is too fatigued to execute it and his legs give way with Lawler on top giving Lawler a 2 count. That was an excellent false finish as I thought it would have been a great ending to this slobberknocker. They tussle over an Irish Whip and they both collide off the ropes. Lawler falls on top of Mantell for the pinfall and the three count.

This is the definition of slobberknocker. If you are looking for thousands of wrestling moves, this match aint going to scratch that itch. If you are looking for a heated, intense, dramatic fight between two wrestlers then it will be hard to top this. The finish run with them both falling all over themselves and then simultaneous punches definitely gave this more of a face vs face vibe. Mantell was going down in a blaze of glory and it was a very respectable effort. So I get the finish the finish, but cant say I was in love with it. It was definitely a way to end the feud and then keep Mantell babyface. But even without it, holy fuck, this was such a BITCHIN match with an excellent story. The clipping keeps this one from getting the full monty, but it is among the best Lawler classics.

#11. American Heavyweight Champion The Spoiler vs Wahoo McDaniel – Houston 4/21/79

Wahoo informs us in the pre-match promo that "Indians like shiny things" and that this is a stepping stone to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. I was really impressed by The Spoiler in his match with Jack Brisco and had to check this out. He is a big dude and very agile. 

First Fall: No shine, we go right to heat. Apparently Wahoo comes from the Jerry Lawler school of slow starting. Spoiler is back into a corner, but he walks up the buckles and comes crashing down on Wahoo. It is just rope assisted knees galore and throwing Wahoo out. If you watch very closely, you will see him monkey with the mask. I thought he was loading and I was confirmed as correct because when he headbutted Wahoo it split him wide open. Gary Hart calls for THE CLAW~! and Spoiler applies it the to bleeding Wahoo. This is when Wahoo comes storming back. Big time chops and blows that has The Spoiler reeling. Spoiler yanks him hard out of the ring and Wahoo hits the concrete hard. He rams Wahoo's head into the steel post. Wahoo then yanks him out of the ring. Wahoo hits a wicked chop, make sure to check the out girl's reaction in the front row for that. Wahoo returns the favor and slams Spoiler's head into the post and the table. Then he grabs a chair and slams Spoiler with that. This is a WAR! Wahoo hits a vertical suplex, but only gets two. Wahoo misses a kneedrop and Spoiler races up the turnbuckles to hit a double axehandle to win the first fall. Blood, foreign objects, hard chops and brawling. What more do you want? Spoiler 1-0

Second Fall: Spoiler tries to cautiously zero in on the groggy Wahoo who is coming to his feet. Wahoo lashes out with a series of chops, but the Spoiler comes back with some rope-assisted strikes on his own. He goes to his bread & butter the CLAW~! Wahoo is able to make to his feet and send Spoiler into the turnbuckle. Spoiler out of control charges hard into the post. Spoiler is so explosive and a big bumper. I like this dude. He takes a crazy bump off Wahoo's chop and it is all knotted up! Tied 1-1. I am excited for the 3rd fall. 

Third Fall: I love the selling by The Spoiler at the beginning of this feels so realistic. This is basically Wahoo's Chop vs Spoiler's Claw. They are just going hammer and tong with each other. Great, realistic brawling, neither man giving an inch. I love how Wahoo keeps going after the mask. Another great moment is Spoiler tries to do his trademark of using the ropes for extra force on his blows and Wahoo catches him with a chop. Spoiler finally gets the Claw cinched in. Wahoo is chopping and chopping, but fading. Then in a very memorable awesome finish, Wahoo turns the mask sideways so he cant see anymore! The loosening of the mask mattered. Spoiler puts the Claw on Gary Hart who was trying to help! I love it! Then he puts the Claw on the ref! This is great! Bronco comes out and calls the match for a DQ, but that was a cool finish. Spoiler ends up smashing Wahoo with the mic and the belt. 

Awesome war of attrition brawling and great selling. Spoiler has looked great in both matches. He was 39 here so the 1960s-1970s were his decades too bad we dont have more. Loved the finish! 

#10. AWA World Tag Team Champions High Flyers vs Rick Martel & Tito Santana 

AWA 8/29/82

These four guys go balls to wall for 15 minutes struggling to score a victory. It is two babyface vs babyface teams where neither team plays a subtle heel that you would often see in face vs face matches. It actually feels like puro in that way, it is a pure competition to see who is the best. The beginning of the match is very focused on Strike Force working over the High Flyers with headlock. I would say Martel is the better of the two in working the headlock. These are some really fast-paced headlock sequences. Martel/Gagne go through a wild headlock/headscissors exchange that would challenge anyone's cardio. You really get the feeling right out the gate that both teams are focused on picking up the victory. Santana, unlike Martel, is a little more content to sit in his headlock. Gagne tries working a crossface on Santana to break it up and feels really heated. Once Martel gets back in, he will run up the ropes and in order to do side headlock takeovers. Martel rules! They work some sequences in between these headlocks, but everything is very focused on the headlocks by Strike Force, which I like the concentration. At this point, we get a clip and now the High Flyers change the focus from headlocks to some really wicked leg work that is bitchin'. Gagne drops a knee on Tito Santana's knee and does his inverted deathlock (Gagnelock?), which looks pretty wicked given how he is applying it. Brunzell follows up with a figure-4 and then a spinning toe hold. Eventually, Santana kicks out and finally Martel gets in, but we find that Martel is selling his knee, which we must have missed in the clip. One last time for the Strike Force Fans, "IT'S RICKY MARTEL TIME, MUTHAFUCKAS!" but he is cut short because he hits a backbreaker, which hurts his own knee! Killer.

Martel tags Tito and Gagne dodges this dropkick. This may sound weird. But I marked the fuck out for that. The force that Tito threw that dropkick and how quick Greg moved out of the way was incredible. (Past self, that is not weird because I totally forgot about that spot and I again popped huge for it. Told myself, if there one thing I need to add to my review was how bitchin' that spot was. But my past self beat me to it! Damn past self for being so on point!  )

Gagne hits a shinbreaker on the ailing knee of Santana and then applies Spinning Toe Hold. Martel gets the tag and runs through some more offense punctuating with a backbreaker. Tito back in with a wicked cross-body and he rattles off a ton of moves, but Gagne grabs the GAGNE CHOKE (filthy cheater  )! Santana snapmares out and hoists Gagne up, but unbeknowst to Tito, Gagne tags Brunzell. Then Brunzell hits the most HOLY SHIT dropkick on Tito. He dropkicks him right in the head for the win. That was the best damn dropkick.

I think any match that can make you mark out for a missed dropkick and a dropkick is a pretty damn incredible match. The story of this best match to prove you were best tag team in the AWA. It was wrestled clean, but that does not mean they wrestled like nancy boys and were polite. They were out for the victory. The tenacity shown on the headlocks and leg works was enthralling. The home stretch was one of the best with Martel's knee going out, Flyers going back to the legs, Tito rattling off moves, before the Mother of All Dropkicks. I don't want to say this blows all WWF tag team matches out of the water, but it does makes most of them look second-rate. This is an excellent showcase on how to work a heated face vs face match without any subtle heel tactics.

#9. NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair vs Kerry Von Erich 

WCCW 12/25/82 Cage Match

They had two different gimmicks to establish in this match plus they needed to get Kerry's revenge in, needed to have a championship style match and run the one of the biggest angles in the history of pro wrestling. I think that was the biggest hindrance to this match was they were trying to accomplish so much in one match. With three lesser men, this would have been a clusterfuck. In the hands of Flair, Kerry and Hayes, they still manage to present an excellent match even if it is not at the level of the first Kerry vs Flair bout.

Unlike David, Kerry does not have to worry about disqualifications and he goes after Flair's leg immediately in retribution. Flair establishes he has nowhere to run due to the cage. Something I have noticed in watching five Flair vs Von Erich matches already is that he does not take many walks to break rhythm. He does beg off or back into a corner, but is not powdering as much as I remember from him. He definitely fight back more at this point with more hair pulls, tight-pulling and eye-raking to set up his chops and short knees. The other gimmick gets established early and often that is even if there is no disqualifications, Michael Hayes will not let one wrestler beat the other senseless in the match to the point where they can defend himself. So Hayes is very forceful in pulling the men off. This is a more logical and better approach than the fucking Kinski performance a year later. Hayes was introduced to the territory in mid-October as a friend of the Von Erich, but he has been even in actions.

Kerry Von Erich grabs the sleeper and a huge pop happens because they remember that was the move that should have won him the first fall. Flair becomes incensed at getting his ass kicked, but Kerry is looking CLAW. They did a good job establishing the cage as nowhere for Flair to hide, they did not tease going into the cage. Regardless, when Kerry sends Flair head first into the cage and grates his forehead it gets a huge pop. This is Flair in his element bleeding and hollering. The verbal selling here is just top notch. Hayes throws Kerry off, but he still signals for The Claw and the crowd is pumped! Flair goes to his best weapon kicking Kerry in his bad leg and he takes Kerry to school. Kerry is pushing Flair off as a last ditch effort and throws him into the cage. It is around this time that it feels haphazard. They want to get Kerry's revenge in on Flair because he is not going to win the title tonight, but at least he will get his licks in. Yet, Flair is still trying to work in a championship style and perpetual motion. Again, trying to accomplish too much.

Flair finally applies the figure-4 and when it is reversed we get some really classic Flair selling. He is so great at selling the struggle and then upon reversing it, just wow! Kerry Von Erich is just beating Flair senseless now and it does not look like the champ has a chance to survive. Hayes is trying to keep thing somewhat safe by pulling Kerry off. CLAW! Flair drapes his leg over the rope and Hayes pulls him off to big BOOOS! That was lame. One thing to keep Flair safe another to force a rope break. While Hayes and Kerry get into it, Flair hits a high knee sending Kerry into Hayes. Flair and Hayes go at it and Hayes decks Flair. Kerry won't take the pin and Hayes pulls him by the hair on top of Flair, but Kerry won't take it. Again Flair gets a high knee that makes it seem like Kerry shoved Hayes out of the cage. So the "Guardian of the Gate" (TM HHH), Freebird Terry Gordy has had enough of Kerry's shit and blasts him with the steel cage door! With that shot the Freebirds vs Von Erichs begins! Flair covers Kerry and Hayes comes back in counts a quick three even though Kerry had kicked out.

The match actually continues, which I think is all for the better because we get some amazing staggering Kerry selling. You really get a sense of how much Kerry is hurt. I am not sure you would get the same feeling if it was Kerry knocked out, Flair pin and then Von Erich brothers swear revenge. Here you get to see Kerry's injury plus how sadistic Flair is in this situation. I love Kerry flailing around in the cage trying to get away from Flair and try to mount a comeback, but he is just too injured. Kerry is able to get a last resort Discus Punch, but he collapses and David Manning has not choice, but to call it. The announcer is worried about a concussion and the Von Erich brothers are worried and pissed. It was a great finish to keep Kerry looking strong and really show how much the Freebirds cost him the match. The world famous angle and the finish stretch ensures this match's place in history. There is never a boring moment in this match, but early on there is just too many things going on for this to be considered on the level of the first Flair vs Kerry match. I still think it was an excellent heated championship match. I have just slightly below the Flair/David match. 

#8. AWA World Tag Team Champions High Flyers vs 

Crusher Blackwell & Sheik Adnan al-Kaissey - AWA 4/18/82 Steel Cage

This was shot from a handheld below the ring really close to the cage and gave a really cool, unique view. Within a minute, you think all 400 lbs of Crusher Blackwell is coming through your video screen only to meet a hard stop at the hands of the steel cage. All the work is really tight. They were not working stiff, but everything was landing. I love hearing a woman from the crowd scream "You pussy, Sheik!" Brunzell was great fighting during his shine and then taking a beating at the hands of the Sheik and Blackwell, the top two heels besides Bockwinkel in the AWA. The camera cuts and we don't see how Greg gets tag. Greg is ramming Blackwell hard into the cage repeatedly and I have no clue he did not knock the wall. Blackwell was throwing himself into that hard. Sheik is exasperated and at the last second moves and Greg runs into the turnbuckles. I am really digging the camera angle. The presentation is so gritty. Blackwell fucking throws Greg into that cage and the camera is right underneath to catch it. This is blowing the East-West Connection cage match outta the water. Greg is taking some crazy bumps. This is some great violence. Brunzell is a great house of fire. You can see it etched on his face how incensed he is. He rakes Sheik's face across the cage and drives Blackwell's head back into the cage repeatedly. Sheik escapes some leg work and Blackwell immediately tries to put the match away with a HUGE splash off the top rope. He then takes a MASSIVE bump over the top turnbuckle. Excellent double dropkick for the win!

After the matches, the heels try to railroad the Greg Gagne in the cage while Brunzell had left early, but Daddy Verne makes the save and kicks some Sheiks ass to a huge ovation. Verne was rocking it. Verne & Old Timers vs the Sheiks was a huge feud at this time. The Sheik & Blackwell felt like a huge, hot act. This was a molten match. It had a big cage match feel with each time look to dish out some serious punishment. The Sheiks took advantages of some High Flyers' mistakes and kicked their ass, but could not hold them down. When the babyfaces were on top, they were firing on all cylinders with a ton of energy and always looking to drive the Sheiks into the cage. The Sheiks were not shy about bumping. One of the best tag team cage matches ever! 

#7. AWA Southern Heavyweight Champion Nick Bockwinkel vs Jerry Lawler 

 Memphis 11/8/82

Nick Bockwinkel is at his sadistic best in this No Disqualification bout where Lawler has put his hair on the line against Nick Bockwinkel's Southern Heavyweight Championship. Lance Russell always lets us know that Lawler is a slow starter, but he picked one helluva night to have an ultra slow start. Bockwinkel absolutely creamed him in the first five minutes. It all began with Bock using the hair to maneuver Lawler into the and hitting him with a huge forearm sledge. After that, he just teed off at will and was getting in some great shots. One palm strike really messed up Lawler's vision and had him rolling to the outside. Bockwinkel was so relentless the ref had to pull him off. It is No DQ, but within reason and the ref needs to ensure the safety of both men. Just when you think, Lawler is going to lose his hair, he comes back with a headbutt that may have been a bit south of the border. Lawler does what he does best punch himself out of trouble. When he goes for some more testicular violence, the ref won't allow it. Lawler has to settle for the piledriver, but Bock puts his foot on the rope. Bockwinkel retaliates with his own punch to the netheregions. Bockwinkel works one helluva heat segment. He busts Lawler open underneath the eye according to Lance and his punches look great. He throws Lawler to the outside and bounces his head off the table and punches him so hard it sends him back into the third row. Everybody deserves a front row seat. Bock is the man! He tosses Lawler over the top rope on the other side. He sends Lawler face first into the metal post, which draws an audible gasp. It has to be mentioned Lawler is giving one of helluva selling performance. Bock wants the piledriver now that would be something. Lawler reverses and sends Bock into the ref. That weasel, Jimmy Hart, blasts Lawler with a foreign object, but no ref. Lawler kicks out at two. Lawler is absorbing Bock's punches and Lawler pulls the strap down. The crowd goes wild as Lawler starts rocking. Bock takes some huge bumps and Lawler looks great. It takes three flying fist drops for Lawler to get his first pinfall victory over the World Champion in five attempts! A little abrupt on the finish, but this an awesome fight. Bockwinkel checks the holds at the door and matches Lawler blow for blow. Lawler is a great seller and when it comes time to make that comeback, I am thinking there may be few better.

Pro Wrestling Love vol. 22: Best of WWF 1984-1987 (Randy Savage, Ricky Steamboat, Sgt. Slaughter)

Hey Yo Stud Muffins & Foxy Ladies,

Pro Wrestling Love vol. 22:

The Best of WWF 1984-1987

Objective:  Break up the Greatest Match Ever Project (hosted at gwe.freeforums.project.net) into more manageable chunks to help me build my Top 100 List for the project.

Motivation: Contribute to the discussion around these matches to enrich my own understanding of pro wrestling and give a fresh perspective for old matches and even hopefully discover great pro wrestling matches that have been hidden by the sands of time.

Subject: This twenty-second volume of Pro Wrestling Love is the conclusion of the Top 12 countdown of the best matches to take place in WWF between 1984-1987. This is the first half of the Hulkamania Era. The starting point is pretty self-explanatory. For wrestling fans, the 1984 is basically the year 1 AD as Vince McMahon & Hulk Hogan are in full force and completely change the pro wrestling landscape. I chose 1987 as the end date for three reasons. The year 1987 saw the end of territories. Crockett bought out Watts. In 1988, World Class, AWA & Memphis on their last legs tried to form a triple alliance that went nowhere. The year 1988 also sees Vince McMahon try for the first time to go on without Hogan as they do the screwjob title change to lift the belt off Hogan. I also feel that 1988 sees a shift in the WWF presentation to brighter colors and more vibrant gimmicks. All this makes 1987 feel like it is the last year of WWF as a territory and it is also the peak of Hulkamania with Hogan vs Andre in the Silverdome at Wrestlemania III. You can revisit past Pro Wrestling Love Volumes at ridingspacemountain.blogspot.com. You can check out the full version of these reviews in ProWrestlingOnly.com by going to the forums and finding the folders associated with the date of the match.

Contact Info: @superstarsleeze on Twitter, Instagram & ProWrestlingOnly.com.

History Beckons The Macho Man

The Top Six Best Matches of World Wrestling Federation 1984-1987

#6. Randy "Macho Man" Savage & "Adorable" Adrian Adonis vs.
Tito Santana & Bruno Sammartino - MSG 7/12/86 Steel Cage Match

WWF Match of the Year, 1986

As we saw in the excellent April No DQ match, that Savage was able to turn that to his favor by nailing the ref to avoid being pinned. It is not that we needed No DQ per se, what was really needed was a troubleshooting ref. Now who in the WWF could walk tall against the Macho Menace. Enter The Living Legend Bruno Sammartino. In May, Tito had a rematch with Savage for the IC Title with Bruno as special guest ref, but Adrian Adonis ran in and helped his newfound friend. This was at the height of Adonis' role in WWF stirring shit with Hogan/Orndorff and right before Piper's return. The next month in June they have a really fun tag match where the babyfaces beat the shit out of the heels before they run away. Finally in July, so no could run away and no refs would needed and once and for all Bruno & Tito could exact some revenge they put these four in the confines of the STEEL CAGE! This was some really high end month to month booking by Vince & Co. It climaxed with an absolute barnburner of a cage match.

Savage & Adonis sell the Pearl Harbor attack by keeping their ring attire on and then jumping them. Adonis kicking the shit out of Bruno with a pink scarf on is awesome. The babyfaces don't stay down for long and Bruno starts kicking Savage's ass while still in his ring attire. Bruno's punch and kick is perfect for this violence of the steel cage. Savage tries to escape, but Bruno holds him back. Adonis eats the cage. He tries to leap over Bruno and Savage to get out the door, but ends up in the top turnbuckle. Savage is choked out by Bruno on the top rope. Savage is able to kick some Tito ass and tries to scramble over the top. Bruno is on Macho Man duty. Adonis tries to take advantage by leaping out the door again. Adonis is able to pull Tito down. This has been total chaos. The heels desperately trying to get out is so entertaining. Savage ends up upside in the turnbuckles and that is the first time I have seen take that bump. Adonis is able to hit a suplex and Macho Man has just been getting his ass kicked. As Bruno is distracted by trying keep Adonis from escaping, Macho Man tries to crawl out the door, this is hilarious. Santana is able to grab the boot while Bruno drags Adonis down and crotches him on the top rope. Bruno is a one man gang in here! Savage lawn darts Santana into the cage! Adonis eats the cage! Santana is busted! Adonis rakes Tito's face into the cage. Bruno and Savage fight over who is going into the cage. Bruno has been saving Tito this whole match. Bruno whips Adonis into the door and almost a mistake. Santana catches Savage coming off the top rope. Adonis rips the top board off the steps being dragged back in by Bruno. Tito starts ramming the Macho Man hard into the cage repeatedly and he is busted! Santana tries to escape. Adonis takes the Blackwell bump but all the way off the cage!!!! HOLY SHIT! HE COULD HAVE KILLED BRUNO! Remind me to never call Bruno old because he is kicking ass! Savage has one foot over the top. Santana blasts Savage off the top colliding with Adonis and then Bruno throws Savage into the cage for the definitive victory.

A total blast! The heels were excellent in this. They were selling how badly they were getting beaten by constantly trying to run for their lives. The babyfaces were perfect ass kickers. Tito definitely did more selling as Bruno showed no weakness. I love steel cage tag team matches. This was another bloody, violent and excellent one. 

#5. WWF Intercontinental Champion Greg "The Hammer" Valentine vs.
Tito Santana - Baltimore 7/6/85 Steel Cage Match

WWF Match of the Year, 1985

YES! I FINALLY FOUND IT! I loved watching the Valentine/Santana matches about two years ago, but couldnt find the big steel cage blowoff. The whole Valentine breaking Tito's leg only for Tito to learn the figure-4 to do the same to Valentine is one of the best damn angles I have ever seen. I have been watching a lot of WWF, but no Valentine so far. My God, he is playing a whole different game. He absolutely crushes Tito with those blows. The cage seems weird or maybe it is just Tito was super awkward trying to climb the cage but it seemed both men were having a hard time climbing it. I loved how they were just constantly beating the shit out of each other near top of the cage or the door. It was nasty and gritty. Valentine was dropping the hammer down on Santana with a big clubbering blows, but couldnt get Tito eat steel. Tito did not get much of a shine he was revved up but Valentine really blasted him to start. Tito was great fighting from underneath. There were some really awkward falls that added to the realism of the fight for the Intercontinental Championship. The amount of struggle in this match just blows everything out of the water in WWF at this time. I love the Hogan popcorn matches, but those are fun like a summer blockbuster. This is the Oscar film. Valentine clobbers Tito when he tries to get out. I mean he is just reigning the blows down on Tito. He is going to apply the figure-4, but Tito kicks off. Valentine is so awesome. FLYING BURRITO~! It was a beauty really nailed him in the forehead and great bump by Valentine. I was starting to think Tito of Savage is the best WWF worker but Valentine has reminded me why he is right there. Santana droptoehold stops Valentine. Valentine hotshots Tito into the cage. Nasty. Now he is just ramming him into the cage. TI-TO! TI-TO! TI-TO! The Hammer is brutalizing him and Santana is showing his worth a selling, underneath babyface. Tito lunges at the last minute to stop Valentin from getting through the door and once again it is a gritty struggle at the door. VALENTINE FUCKING SMOKES TITO! THEN TITO PUNCHES VALENTINE SO HARD HE SMACKS THE BACK OF HIS HEAD INTO THE CAGE! AWESOME! Hammer tries figure-4, but shoved off into the cage. Santana climbs the cage from the center and again it seems like the cage is further away from the ropes. Valentine gives up on trying to stop Santana and tries to beat him out the door. TITO SLAMS THE DOOR SHUT ON VALENTINE'S HEAD WITH HIS FOOT! Best cage match finish ever! Totally lives up to the hype. My two favorite WWF wrestlers having a total war for the Intercontinental Championship in a Steel Cage with the best steel cage match finish ever! 

#4. Greg "The Hammer" Valentine vs Bob Backlund - MSG 4/23/84

A lot of people say this is the least of their series, I am the polar opposite, I think it is the second best match of their series. I pretty much love all Backlund/Valentine matches; they bring out the best in each other. This is my third time watching it and it has not lost any of its luster. Where it succeeds where so many matches fail is the natural transitions between limb work through the match and the sustain selling in and out of segments by both men. The commentators are going on that Backlund may have to hang it up if he loses this one. I think Backlund had no place in Vince's WWF and that commentary shows it, but I wish he stayed wrestling elsewhere full time because he was so damn good.

The early part of the match is fun with Backlund doing single leg pickups to show up The Hammer and they have some fun amateur exchanges. Backlund gets into a forearm exchange with Valentine, which is a bad idea. Backlund has a lingering arm injury from when he lost the belt to Sheiky Baby and Valentine focuses his attack on it. It is very compelling arm work and it is nice to see Backlund on the defensive. Backlund does his bridging spots, but Valentine stays on the arm. Backlund cant backslide because of the bad arm. Huge clubbing blows to the arm. Valentine misses a second rope leg drop. Meaning his leg is susceptible to work and Backlund jumps on it. It becomes a massive struggle to see if Valentine can re-establish arm control or if Backlund can gain a foothold in the match by working the leg. Backlund does a great job selling the arm as he ties Valentine up. He can do a crossface. but he is able to use a deathlock to at least by himself time and then he picks Valentine up and throws him down. Valentine escapes to outside. He trips Backlund up and wrenches Backlun'ds leg against post and then throws a chair at it. AWESOME! Valentine was desperate he grabbed whatever limb he could get and it also sets up for figure-4. The Hammer keeps selling his own leg as he works Backlund's leg. Backlund is fighting from his back to attack Valentine's injured leg. This is so awesome. Valentine tries figure-4 multiple times, does get Boston Crab on onre, but Backlund powers out because he is a stud. Valentine is frustrated that he tried the figure-4 three times and no success. BACKLUNDZIGUIRI!!!! Valentine is dazed and pissed. He recovers and ties Backlund up. He wants the damn figure-4. He misses a second rope elbow. Backlund's knee gives out on an atomic drop. FIGURE-4!!!! Valentine is finally going to one over his archrival. Valentine uses ropes for leverage and ref breaks it up. Backlund O'Connor Roll for the win. As is his MO, Valentine is a sore loser. He decks the ref and puts Bob in the figure-4.

Awesome match! Incredibly compelling loved the selling, the work and the transitions from body part to body part. I thought the finish was a little anti-climatic. I guess they were not exactly ready to put Bob out to pasture yet. 

#3. WWF Intercontinental Champion Randy "Macho Man" Savage vs
Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat - Maple Leaf Gardens 2/15/87

I could have sworn I had seen this match before, but I don't think I have. What a tremendous match! Perhaps even better than the Mania match, which I need to rewatch now. Steamboat made his return at the January Saturday's Night Main Event during Savage and Steele's match. I really enjoyed the Savage vs Steele feud and SNME matches. The turnbuckle stuffing spot is pretty funny. It was the perfect feud to put even more heat on Savage, but it was all to really get that heat on Savage for the Steamer.

After crushing having larynx crushed and needing to re-learn how to talk, many have criticized the Mania for the lack of violence and hatred from Steamboat. Around the horn in the Northeast loop (Boston, Philly, NYC and Toronto) for two shows in each city they saw Steamboat win or lose by DQ and not win the title. This explains the cleaness and neatness of the Mania match as Steamboat had gotten his licks in and now was coming from the title. Besides a single pinfall cover by Ricky which I think was out of force of habit. Steamboat focused on using his energy and technique to set up his chops and this maybe the most violent Steamboat ever looked. Savage was great at selling the discombobulation and tries to head for the hills, but Steamboat chucks him back in. Again, Macho Man powders and this time with some cat and mouse game Savage nails The Dragon and throws him over the top. Savage sells well, but once recuperated he sends Steamboat into the railing. Big bodyslam by Macho man on the floor. I like how this match has more selling and more drama. Savage is matching violence with Steamboat. The big spots on the floor is allowing more time to breathe. Finally, Savage lays Steamboat across the top rope and drills that throat with an elbow. I think if we got some choking and coughing from Steamboat that would have sealed the deal as this being a tippy top great match. Still Savage is coming off the top with the double axe handle and now a kneedrop to throat. Camera is not letting us see if he is choking or coughing. Classic Savage clothesline stymies a Steamboat rally. Savage is here to preserve his title reign so it makes more sense for him to go for all these covers. Steamboat is draped throat first across the middle rope and Savage looks to really hurt him by crushing with all his weight, but Steamboat moves! Love that spot! There was so much drama if he would or would not move. Somehow, Savage has a minor cut on his forehead, but dont know how.Steamboat does the skin the cat spot, but Savage dont play that and he just clobbers him with a clothesine. Savage looks to hit the double axehandle on the railing, but gets a punch in the stomach. Steamboat uses speed and armdrags and then chokes the hell out of Savage. I love how Steamboat is using his normal offense to create opportunities for violence. Now, it is a larynx for a larynx as he snaps Savage's throat against the top rope. Steamboat mocks Savage's throat selling. he drops Savage on the top rope. How does a taste of your own medicine feel! Savage powders and tries to send him in teh railing, but it is the Macho Man that tastes the steel. Savage with that awesome tippsy selling right into a Steamboat big karate shot from the top. Catapult and now Savage is busted wide open. The way Savage's body conforms to the turnbuckles on that spot was awesome. Savage is straight money in this match. He is selling so well! he always trying to escape, but he is so disoriented that he cant escape the Dragon. Savage has enough wherewithal to grab the tights to send him out. Savage drills from behind on the ramp with a high knee. Great use of the ramp! Steamboat chants and he is pissed! He goes for the sunset flip and only gets two and now they do the Mania match finish with a ton of nearfalls for Steamboat. It is the O'Connor Roll that does him as Savage is able to reverse and pull tights.

Awesome match! Savage is covered in blood with the championship, but Steamer is so pissed he runs down the ramp and blasts him. I think you can see the change in Steamboat within this match. Up until the end, he wants to get his licks in first with chops then targeting the larynx and finally busting Savage wide open. Eventually after all this payback, he does want to add on top of that taking the championship away from Savage thus why he goes for the pinfall barrage. The pinfall barrage plays right into Steamboat's wheelhouse of quickness. The object of wrestling is put your man down for three the more attempts you make that better chance you have of getting that win. I think this match and the other matches in Northeast showed Ricky he could get his revenge or he could get the championship, but not both. After two months of kicking ass, he set out to win the title at Mania. Savage's performance in this is just tremendous. I think above all his selling was just perfect. He was discombobulated from the being and that just sold how much fire Steamboat had. When he was on top, he slowed it down and really targeted the neck. The cheap win with the tights covered in blood and leaving with the title is just a great heel ending. One of the best matches in 80s WWF and one of the all-time classics. I really want to rewatch this one to see where it will place in my Top 100 matches of all time.

#2. WWF Intercontinental Champion Randy "Macho Man" Savage vs 

Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat - Wrestlemania III

WWF Match of the Year, 1987

History beckons the Macho Man! One of the all-time great promos and singular lines in pro wrestling. I had forgotten that during the Steamboat promo that they do mention this is the Dragon's last shot, which is only further proof why the match was worked the way it was and the correct way to go about it. I always loved how they weaved in the George Steel story into this match. I love how Savage moves Liz away from Steele because of what happened at the last SNME where he kidnapped her. Well-played spot. The finish is just awesome with Steel saving Steamboat from the bell. It is too bad that Savage could not get himself to be hit with the bell a little bit more convincingly.

Much like Hogan vs Andre, this match has been talked to death and I don't have a completely revolutionary fresh take, but I did enjoy this match more than I ever have in the past. The first time I watched this was probably about ten years ago and I hate to admit I was pretty underwhelmed. It just seemed like guys moving really fast, but without much substance to it. This match for me at least has gotten better with each subsequent watch and I really enjoyed it this time around. The Toronto match really helps put things into perspective. I highly recommend watching the Toronto match before this one to get the full experience. In fact, I would imagine if you go back and watch 2 or 3 of their 86 matches it would help even more. It is actually surprising how many spots are similar to Toronto but they work them in different fashions, but it is still organic. They even played off the Toronto finish with Savage reversing a O'Connor Roll, but this time Steamboat kicked out.

I think there are times when Steamboat does show aggression that have been brushed over like the choke on Savage at the beginning and the aggression of his chops. Savage is a particularly nasty heel in this and in general that is his style. He takes shortcuts and uses nasty short strikes to keep his opponents at bay. The eye rake when Steamboat was unleashing all that karate popped me. I really loved his use of the high knee in this match. It was a well-delivered attack and it was always to the back. Great dick move. Around this time, he decks Steamboat in the midst of the skin the cat and Jesse delivers my all time favorite line "You have to get up pretty early in the morning to get one up on the Macho Man."

This is a type of feud that I think could benefit wrestling more and that is the one-sided hate feud. Steamboat hates Savage and that's clearly evident. Savage does not actually hate Steamboat. He is lashing out in fear of losing the title. It makes sense for Savage to cheat like a muthafucka and go for a ton of pinfalls. Steamboat does actually work aggressive at times, but this is tempered by the fact that this maybe his last shot for the IC title.

Do they move too fast in this match? Yes and no. I think this match is very influential on the current style used today. Pack in a ton of action and lots of nearfalls at the end = This Is Awesome chants. I think they move way too fast at the beginning. There are way too many momentum shifts and there is very little rhythm. it does not feel like a struggle. I would say around the high knees that match settles into a nice structure with Steamboat fighting underneath due to Savage's cheating. I actually dig the urgency of Steamboat's nearfalls. It is a really heightened sense of drama. I think during the finish the speed at which they were going was warranted and was a boon to the match.

Overall, I thought they moved a bit too quickly early on, last half was wicked hot. It was downright revolutionary for the WWF at the time. Those nearfalls were wicked hot. You always think of the one after the karate chop near the ropes that gets a monster pop because everyone thought Steamboat had won. I also did not think there was one consistent thread through the entire match like a real cool overarching story. Because of how it influenced the fans, wrestlers and the promotion, I am giving this one the nod of their Toronto match. 

#1. Sgt. Slaughter vs Iron Sheik - Madison Square Garden 6/16/84 Bootcamp Match

WWF Match of the Year, 1984

What some call the greatest match in WWF history, still lives up to the hype. I have seen this before as I have seen all the Slaughter/Sheik matches before, but never in one day and man what a helluva series. This took the May Match and just amplified everything hundredfold. Slaughter charging to the ring with the helmet and blasting Sheik was the perfect opening shot. Slaughter using his swagger stick (always found that to be an oddly sexual name for it) to beat Sheik and then headbutting him with the helmet on was a great babyface shine. Slaughter takes his usual nasty spill over the top turnbuckle onto the floor. He really lets it all hang loose on that bump! Sheik bounces a chair off Slaughter's back and then whips him like a dog. I love a good belt whipping. Sheik is choking him with the belt and whipping him with the riding crop. That's awesome. Slaughter bucks him off to the floor and now Slaughter has the belt! Payback is a bitch, Sheik! Sarge is still quite disoriented and beaten up from the Sheik's devastating attack. Sheik is looking to destroy Sarge by ramming his head into the loaded boot after several attempts he gets it and we get that big bladejob from Sarge. Here comes the Sheik's spit. There needs to be more spit in pro wrestling. It is fucking gross and you immediately hate that muthafucka for doing it. Sarge takes his patented bump over the turnbuckles again. This is an absolute ass kicking. Slaughter in a last ditch effort loads his boot and comes crashing down on Sheik's head busting him open. Finally, The Iron Sheik bleeds! U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A! Big windup and an uppercut gets a massive pop, but only a two count. Both men are absolutely spent. I say it a lot, all wrestling fans say it a lot, Triple H says it way more than all of us, but this is a WAR~! They are both just collapsing, but each man has too much pride to let their shoulders stay down for three. Sheik gets one last string of offense: two big suplexes and when neither one win him the match. He looks to end the match and possibly the career of Slaughter with his boot. He takes the boot off and loads against the turnbuckle. A wild swing and a miss! SLAUGHTER CANON! HE NEARLY TOOK OFF HIS HEAD! The boot goes flying and someone tosses it back in. They both crawl for the boot and it is Slaughter that gets it. LOVED THAT SPOT! Sarge loads up the boot and clobbers Iron Sheik for 1-2-3! HUMONGOUS POP!

Awesome match! Loved how it built around the boot and paid off all the boot-related offense in the earlier matches. One of the biggest disappointments in WWF wrestling of the 80s is the lack of quality, violent heat segments. This match was the exception as Iron Sheik beat the living shit out of Sgt Slaughter. Slaughter earned every inch of that comeback. The selling down the stretch is magnificent and the crowd is molten. I dont know if it is the best match in WWF history, but it is currently in my top 5 with Cena/Umaga, Hart/Austin (I Quit), Hart/Hart (WM X) and Savage/Warrior. Awesome, awesome brawl!

Pro Wrestling Love vol. 21: Best of WWF 1984-1987 (Randy Savage, Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart)

Hey Yo Stud Muffins & Foxy Ladies,

Pro Wrestling Love vol. 21:

The Best of WWF 1984-1987

Objective:  Break up the Greatest Match Ever Project (hosted at gwe.freeforums.project.net) into more manageable chunks to help me build my Top 100 List for the project.

Motivation: Contribute to the discussion around these matches to enrich my own understanding of pro wrestling and give a fresh perspective for old matches and even hopefully discover great pro wrestling matches that have been hidden by the sands of time.

Subject: This twenty-first volume of Pro Wrestling Love is the beginning of the Top 12 countdown of the best matches to take place in WWF between 1984-1987. This is the first half of the Hulkamania Era. The starting point is pretty self-explanatory. For wrestling fans, the 1984 is basically the year 1 AD as Vince McMahon & Hulk Hogan are in full force and completely change the pro wrestling landscape. I chose 1987 as the end date for three reasons. The year 1987 saw the end of territories. Crockett bought out Watts. In 1988, World Class, AWA & Memphis on their last legs tried to form a triple alliance that went nowhere. The year 1988 also sees Vince McMahon try for the first time to go on without Hogan as they do the screwjob title change to lift the belt off Hogan. I also feel that 1988 sees a shift in the WWF presentation to brighter colors and more vibrant gimmicks. All this makes 1987 feel like it is the last year of WWF as a territory and it is also the peak of Hulkamania with Hogan vs Andre in the Silverdome at Wrestlemania III. You can revisit past Pro Wrestling Love Volumes at ridingspacemountain.blogspot.com. You can check out the full version of these reviews in ProWrestlingOnly.com by going to the forums and finding the folders associated with the date of the match.

Contact Info: @superstarsleeze on Twitter, Instagram & ProWrestlingOnly.com.

The Irresistible Force vs Immovable Object

Honorable Mentions

This era of the World Wrestling Federation has been an absolute treasure trove of great wrestling and I implore all to seek out as many of these matches as possible. There are many matches here in Honorable Mentions that I rated ****1/2 I just couldn’t fit into the final countdown. That’s how loaded this era is. I italicized the matches I rated ****1/2 in the honorable mentions.

WWF I-C Champion Tito Santana vs Greg “The Hammer” Valentine – Philly 3/31/84

WWF I-C Champion Tito Santana vs Greg “The Hammer” Valentine – Philly 5/5/85

WWF I-C Champion Tito Santana vs Greg “The Hammer” Valentine – MSG 6/16/84

WWF I-C Champion Greg “The Hammer” Valentine vs Tito Santana – MSG 11/26/84

WWF I-C Champion Greg “The Hammer” Valentine vs Tito Santana – MSG 1/21/85

WWF I-C Champion Greg “The Hammer” Valentine vs Tito Santana – MSG 3/17/85

If there is one flaw of the amazing, heated Tito Santana vs Greg “The Hammer” Valentine feud is that they had too many great matches as you can see above. Since none of the matches really stand out above the others, they get overlooked when ranking matches. One of their matches does make my top 12 of course because there is no way I was leaving my favorite feud, unrepresented. Still, this is not just one of the greatest WWF feuds, but one of the greatest feuds in wrestling history. It feels like you are watching BattlArts in Madison Square Garden as these are two of the best sluggers of all time. Their matches are some of the best wars of attrition style matches you will ever see. In my opinion, MSG 6/16/84 and 11/26/84 stand out above the others and I would say MSG 11/26/84 would be #13, it was the last one out.

Sgt. Slaughter vs Iron Sheik – MSG 4/23/84

Sgt. Slaughter vs Iron Sheik – MSG 5/21/84

These are the must-see first two parts of the MSG Trilogy pitting the newly minted, patriotic babyface Sgt. Slaughter against the most vile of foreign heels, the Iron Shiek. These are amazing matches in their own right and are mandatory viewing before you watch the Bootcamp match.

WWF Intercontinental Champion Randy Savage vs Ricky Steamboat – Toronto 7/27/86

WWF Intercontinental Champion Randy Savage vs Ricky Steamboat – Boston 11/1/86

Another feud where the wrestler just had insane chemistry with each other. As you would expect two Steamboat vs Savage matches made the top twelve so I just did not have room for another even though their July 1986 match at the Maple Leaf Gardens is a classic in their own right. Whereas Santana/Valentine is a personal, physical blood feud and Slaughter/Sheik is a larger than life brawling feud, this is WWF’s answer to Crockett with their own workrate feud but with the added wrinkle of Savage’s unique despicableness where he mixes cowardice and insanity in the perfect entertainment package.  

WWF World Tag Team Champions North-South Connection of Adrian Adonis & Dick Murdoch vs Jack & Gerry Brisco – MSG 12/28/84

Dick Murdoch vs Barry Windham – Philly 2/16/85

This is how deep WWF was in this era, they just had Dick Murdoch, Jack Brisco & Barry Windham just kicking around their midcard putting on stellar matches in their tag scene. Dick Murdoch steals the show in any match he is in. If you have not seen Captain Redneck, you need to remedy that pronto. WWF felt like such an all-star promotion at this point and I love all the unique combinations you get to see.

WWF World Tag Team Champions US Express vs The Dream Team – Philly 8/24/85

WWF World Tag Team Champions British Bulldogs vs The Dream Team – SNME 10/4/86

The Dream Team vs Can-Am Connection – MSG 1/19/87

The Dream Team of Greg “The Hammer” Valentine & Brutus Beefcake was the best tag team of this era not named the Islanders. Their title victory over the US Express of Barry Windham & Mike Rotundo is an amazing heel performance and their match against the hunky Can-Am Connection of Rick Martel & Ton Zenk is one of the best random tag matches in the WWF. The Dream Team is represented in the Top 12, but their other great, overlooked classic is the first great Saturday Night’s Main Event in a Two out of Three Falls match against the offensive dynamos that are the British Bulldogs. They were the Bulldogs best opponents and this was their best match together.

WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan vs Kamala – MSG 12/26/86

WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan vs Kamala – MSG 1/19/87 No DQ

Anyone who says the Hulkster cant work is a tool. Hogan is represented in the Top 12, but his other great matches from this era are against the Ugandan Giant, Kamala. Kamala who literally has no good matches with anyone else (ok the Andre matches are ok) had his best matches with Hogan because Hogan is so damn good at bringing electricity to any arena. Hogan is especially in his element against monsters and Kamala was great in the monster role forcing Hogan to climb the mountain so to speak. The No DQ match is especially good as they basically bust out every gimmick in the book. I highly recommend this series.

Sgt. Slaughter vs Mr. Wonderful – Philly 6/2/84

“Rowdy” Roddy Piper vs Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka – Meadowlands 7/15/84

Two great matches from the WWF’s stacked 1984 roster. Listen to this babyface roster: Hulk Hogan, Andre The Giant, Jimmy Snuka, Sgt. Slaughter and Junkyard Dog. Literally any of those five could be your top babyface. Everyone know about the Coconut Smash Hear ‘Round The World, but few talk about the follow-up matches, but their bloodbath in the Meadowlands is one of the best brawls of the era. Slaughter vs Wonderful shows WWF’s WCW-esque versatility at the time as you could pit pretty much any hot babyface & hot heel and strike gold.

WWF I-C Champion Randy “Macho Man” Savage vs Tito Santana – MSG 4/22/86, No DQ

Ricky Steamboat vs Jake “The Snake” Roberts – Boston 6/27/86

You know your promotion is stacked when a feud like the Macho Man vs Tito Santana don’t have a singles match that makes the top 12. Tito is at his best in a blood feud. He loves to punch and punch hard. After Savage screwed him out of the Intercontinental Championship in Boston by using a foreign object you know Tito was double hot and they had a badass brawl at MSG. Now, their feud is represented in the top 12 in the form of a tag match. Another great feud from 1986 is the Steamboat vs Jake The Snake feud, which does have a match represented in the Top 12. The match listed here is the lead-in match and I highly recommend watching this one first. I normally hate Jake The Snake for his slow, minimalist style (I find myself screaming “Do something” at the screen), but the Dragon gets the absolute best out of Roberts. Besides a Roberts/Flair match from Mid-South, these are by far the best Jake The Snake matches.

Rick Martel vs Tama – MSG 7/25/87

Strike Force vs The Islanders – MSG 10/16/87 2 out of 3 Falls

These were killers to leave out. Part of it is because I watched them five years ago and I couldn’t find them online anymore. I did find room for one of their matches to make my Top 12. The Strike Force vs Islanders was the BIG find of my re-watching of all WWF tag team matches from the 1980s which led to Tag Teams Back Again. I will recount the story here. Legend has it that the hunky Can-Ams were slated for a big tag team run. Then Zenk decided to quit this led to the Islanders turning heel, taking out Zenk permanently and taking on The Brain as their manager. The Islanders were a happy go lucky middle of the pack babyface team and overnight they became the best heel tag team in promotion and besides Randy Savage probably the best heels in the promotion. Tama should have been a megastar heel. He was such a cocky prick and such a great big bumping heel. Anyways, the Islanders wanted to finish the job and take Martel out. So Martel wrestled two singles matches against each Islander two months in a row at Madison Square Garden. The first match against Tama channels Martel’s AWA Title Reign as he goes right into champion mode. At the time, I said the match was so good it rivalled Savage vs Steamboat from the same year. However, without a rewatch, I cant compare, but my review and recollection is that this is one of the best matches of all time. After being outnumbered two-on-one, Martel needed back up and this came in the form of the aimless Tito Santana. Tito had wrapped up with Savage and needed something new to do. Strike Force was born. As two of the greatest babyfaces of all time formed an amazing tag team. The ensuing tag team feud with the Islanders is one of the greatest tag team feuds in the history of pro wrestling and should be discussed more.

The Top 12 Matches of the WWF in 1984-1987

#12. Strike Force vs The Islanders - Madison Square Garden 9/21/1987

Holy shit! How has no one ever told me of this match before. This match was an instant classic for me and currently one of my favorite matches. Before the match (shown on MSG Classics), Mean Gene shows a clip from Superstars where Tito gets assaulted by the Islanders due to him saving Martel from an earlier attack. So it is now personal between all four men. They do not wait for the formal ring introductions as Strike Force storms the ring and KATIE BAR THE DOOR BECAUSE THERE IS A PIER-SIX BRAWL A BREWIN!!! Islanders bail and Heenan leaves his hand on the apron and Strike Force stomps each hand. Then Martel brings in Tama the hard way who does a belly flop into the ring. A Martel dropkick send Tama over the top rope. I am loving every bit of this and so is the Garden.

Tama asks for time out, bitch please. Martel ducks a corner shot and he levels him. They set up the arm bar as the base of their attack with Tito coming off the ropes with an elbow to Tama's elbow and then swiftly knocking Haku off the apron. Tito leapfrogs over Tama and then turns around leveling Tama with a clothesline. Tama breaks up the armbar with headbutts and he tags Haku in. Haku promptly misses his big elbow. Time for him to play pinball for Strike Force. Once again, the armbar is the base with Martel using his speed. This is the best face shine sequence I have seen save for the MX/RNR Wrestlewar '90, which is also wicked fun.

All good things must come to an end and while the ref's back is turned, Tama comes off the top rope with an illegal forearm on Tito to set up the heat segment. Tama hits a wicked reverse elbow. The Islanders do all the good stuff: double teaming, choking with the tag rope, and false hot tag. Haku hits a monster superkick, but Tito kicks out at two. Haku goes for the kill with a SOMERSAULT SPLASH, but misses. TITO MAKES THE HOT TAG!!! THE GARDEN EXPLODES! ITS RICKY MARTEL TIME, MUTHAFUCKAS!!! He is one man wrecking crew, but as he has Tama in a pinning predicament Haku blasts Martel with the ref distracted. Haku vehemently chokes Martel with his foot.

Tama had Martel scouted on his reverse cross body. Martel has been watching his share of film too and avoids the second rope headbutt. The ref busy with keeping Tito out of the ring allowed Haku to hit Martel with a headbutt and throw Tama out to get the pin.

I loved this match. It was bell-to-bell action with great face/heel dynamics. When you have watched the whole angle progress you just couldnt wait to see Strike Force manhandle The Islanders that is what you get in the outset. The Islanders are no slouches in the offense department and really work a solid heel tag team. They could be a bit more vicious and there were times they were, but this is late 80s WWF so given the circumstances it was good enough. Santana and Martel are two of the best babyfaces of all time and holy shit is Rick Martel a MONSTER hot tag. I have this as my favorite 80s tag team match topping the Bulldogs/Dream 2 Out Of 3 Falls SNME match.

#11. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat vs Jake "The Snake" Roberts - Boston Garden 8/9/1986

They wrestled a totally different match this go around and one that I thought is pretty unique overall. Jake Roberts is definitely a low risk, conservative type wrestler. He does not have much in the way of flashy moves or bumps. He bides his time and measures the moment. He transformed this into a really interesting strategy of blocking Steamboat's chops at every turn. This frustrated the Dragon and stymied his uptempo game. The Snake played into the dickishness by reminding everyone how smart he is for formulating this strategy. There were times where it looked like Steamboat would be able to goad him into his game like a quick slugfest or a criss cross but both times Jake remembered his game plan and refused to be suckered into it. Jake planned on leveraging this counterwrestling strategy by attacking the arm, which would negate the chop. Overall, this was a much better plan than his last outing in the Garden, which was high-risk counterwrestling waiting for the right time to use Steamboat's momentum against him. Eventually, Steamboat was able to break down Jake's defenses, I think the best example was when Jake went block high and Steamboat hit low to set up a chop flurry. Steamboat really started to get on a roll. I thought this paid off the first part of the match perfectly. Then they upped the ante when Steamboat hit his left hand on the post going for a chop. What a perfect transition! What ensued is why I love pro wrestling. Steamboat milking the hand injury for all its worth. Jake giving into his tortuous inclinations. He was smashing that hand into everything and working it over. It was just awesome. Steamboat trying to use other body parts come back, but Jake going right back to the hand. Jake The Snake wanted to choke Steamboat and this was his flaw when he deviated from his game plan. It led to Steamboat snapping Roberts' throat over the top rope. I liked the symmetry there. Steamboat basically fought back with one hand in a really thrilling comeback where he hurled Roberts into the barricade and table. I am really liking violent Ricky The Dragon. I really liked the Snake's selling. Steamboat continued his barrage even hitting his big karate flying chop. I did think the finish was a misstep. Roberts sent The Dragon into the ref and then got two visual pins on the Dragon, short arm clothesline and then gutbuster before Roberts frustrated with no ref was rolled up for the loss. I feel like the finish does no one any favors. If the plan was to advance Jake The Snake up a rung to face, Hogan, which I think he earned with these great performances then just let him win, don't make slip on the banana peel and even a loss would not kill him. How does that help Steamboat who is trying to gain revenge and all he gets is a roll up. On top of that, Jake still gets to plant him with a DDT. This was a very protected finish for Jake The Snake. I usually don't let booking cloud my judgment of a match, but even just on face value, it is a very unsatisfying finish. Really badass and unique stuff in this match and up until the finish an absolute classic.

#10. WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan vs Harley Race 

 Madison Square Garden  6/22/1987 Texas Death Match

I could have sworn I had seen this before, but there is no way because I would never forget such a badass match. Honestly, this could be the best Hogan match of his career and this is going to sound weird but I think this is the greatest Harley Race match I have ever seen. I have seen a lot of "Texas Death" matches in WWF and besides the Patera '80 one they aren't really all that violent and awesome. This was violent and this was awesome. Hogan tears into Harley. Lots of brawling around the ring. This would feel more comfortable in Memphis or Greensboro. Hogan just ramming Harley's hard head into hard object. He HORSE COLLARS him with a chair on point. Loved the transitions in this as he is bringing him back into the ring, Harley's old trick knee flares up and just whacks him in the balls. Not even the Immortal Hulk Hogan is invulnerable to that. Harley is great with the piledriver and the suplexes and those great headbutts. He takes some great bumps in this. His trademark one out the corner hooking the ropes looked totally out of control. Hogan sees red but wants the Brain and Harley uses this take control ramming a metal chair into the throat of Hogan. This is gnarly. But he misses the headbutt and eats concrete. Great spot. They are fighting up the rampway and PILEDRIVER ON THE FLOOR! Harley looks like he has this won. Heenan gives him the Championship Belt first he holds it high before using it as a weapon. Classic! The spot could have been executed better, but loved the intention. Harley comes off the top rope looking to end the interminable reign of Hogan with a flying headbutt but eats the Gold! (the belt was not in perfect position I think Hogan could have moved it to make it look like he did it, small quibble). Hogan does his best Chief Jay impersonation with the belt and then smashes Harley in the face and the covers while holding the belt high. Badass! Simply badass! 

#9. Randy "Macho Man" Savage vs Bret "The Hitman" Hart  

Saturday Night's Main Event 11/28/1987

Unless I am forgetting some Rockers match, this is definitely my pick for best match in SNME history (Rockers/Busters match is close). Make no mistake about it, this is the Randy Savage show and one of the few times in his whole WWF career where Bret takes a backseat to someone in a match. As much as we can debate whether this is Bret's coming out party, this is definitively Savage's coming out party as the number two babyface in the company. Thus it is only logical that Savage is the star of the match, but that being said, there are very few heels at this point in time in the promotion that could have delivered the same performance as Bret did in this match. I think that is really when a match transcends into something special is when both wrestlers are crucial to the success of the match in such a way no other wrestler could take their place. To state in the converse fashion, neither wrestler feels like a generic, warm body to partake in the routine of someone else's match.

Savage is not a fan of extended segmenting in his matches especially he likes short babyface shines when he is a babyface. What I like about this is that adds a sense of struggle in a way that most WWF matches lack. Bret is almost getting in "heel hope spots" during the shine just to spice things up. They establish Macho Man will have plenty of extracurriculars to concern himself early especially how the Honky Tonk Man and the Harts treated Elizabeth on the last SNME. This is also the first instance of the rather proliferate Bret bump off the apron onto the guardrail that I have noticed.

One thing I love in my wrestling is urgency. Has there ever been a more urgent North American wrestler than Savage? I loved how he kicked Bret on the telegraphed back drop. He seemed so out of control. Savage crashes and burns on his double axe-handle to the guardrail. Bret delivers a piledriver that would make Bob Backlund proud before ramming his shoulder back into his post. Savage does a mini-control segment before being back dropped over the top rope and onto the floor. That was a crazy high bump. Thus begins Savage's Emmy campaign. If you have force me, I would say I prefer Savage' knee selling over Toshiaki Kawada's by a hair. Savage is just so excellent on fighting on one leg. Elizabeth helping Savage take off his boot is such a nice touch. Bret is in his element working over the leg and does a fantastic job. I don't think there was anyone on the WWF roster that could have pulled that role off and I don't think anyone could have sold as well as Savage. It was just a perfect confluence. They work this to such a fever pitch that crowd pops huge for Savage's desperation inside cradle off a bodyslam attempt to win.

An excellent match that illustrates how the WWF style had the potential to deliver powerful stories even if they didn't always. I loved this match and I think it is a harbinger of Bret's future and a testament to what Savage could be as a babyface. Perfect TV match. 

#8. The Dream Team vs Tito Santana & Ricky Steamboat - Maple Leaf Gardens 4/21/85

This match sure lived up to the hype and may be the best Beefcake performance I have ever seen. This match was all about tempo. Santana was in his red-hot feud with Valentine who had broken his leg and taken his title. The crowd was molten for that angle. The babyfaces worked their entire end in an up-tempo, fired -up fashion. The Dream Team knowing they could not match this attempted every trick in the book to break their momentum and work a real grinding style. This led to a really good match.

Early on Steamboat and Santana have a hot shine sequence with Beefcake and Valentine just bumping all over the place for them. I have been down on WWF Steamboat, but he was pumped for this match just flying around the ring. You know that Tito is going to bring the hate with his fists balled up. Beefcake and Valentine do their best to stall and break this momentum, but at first there seems like no end to this onslaught. Until, Tito goes for the figure-4 on Valentine, who grabs his trunks and hits a knee in the midsection. Once he hits a shoulderbreaker he consolidates the advantage for the Dream Team and grinds the match to a halt. They work on Santana with some double teams and Valentine slaps on an arm bar. Tito is almost able to make the tag, but Valentine knocks Steamboat off the apron and then Beefcake comes around and beats on Steamboat. The crowd was just eating this all up. The Beefer gets cocky and goads Steamboat. Tito is able to crawl past Beefcake and get the hot tag to Steamboat. IT IS BREAKING LOOSE IN TORONTO! Steamboat with his best hot tag I have seen. He unloads on both the Hammer and the Beefer with karate shots. The crowd was losing their shit for this. Steamboat grabs the sleeper hold, but Beefcake with an eye-rake. Valentine and Steamboat have a good exchange until an eye-rake does Steamboat in and Valentine consolidates with a gut buster. I preferred the Steamboat FIP is a better at selling and the Dream Team really unloaded with double teams and offense. Valentine starts to warm him up for the figure-4, but Steamboat knows his way around the figure-4 and grabs an inside cradle. Steamboat fights out of the corner and is able to Tito. ARRIBA! Double noggin knocker. Tito drops Valentine with a right. Flying Burrito to a huge pop! Beefcake saves. Melee ensues. They are double teaming Tito and Steamboat flies off the top onto Beefcake. Tito blocks Valentine's atomic drop and applies the figure-4 for the submission victory. ARRIBA! Wooooooooooooo, I am out of breathe after that one.

This is babyface wrestling 101, folks. Steamboat and Santana gave maximum effort and I bet it is real easy when you have a crowd as hot as this one at the Maple Leaf Gardens. The Dream Team wrestled a smart match to ensure constant heat throughout the match as they built not one, but two really hot tags. In some of those double FIP AWA tags, the first hot tag is not all that hot, but in this match that Steamboat hot tag is just as red-hot as the following Santana one. Beefcake actually wrestled pretty well here and was not as awkward as usual. The Hammer is going to clog the lane every time and make sure that babyface earns every shot. 

#7. WWF Women's Tag Team Champions Glamour Girls vs Jumping Bomb Angels 

Madison Square Garden 11/24/1987

Holy shit! Hart Foundation & British Bulldogs eat your hearts out, this is how you do a workrate match in the 1980s. You expect the MSG crowd to shit all over this, but they come out so blazing hot that all four women are immediately over with the Garden. I know watched this  for Tag Teams Back Again, but this match blew me away all over again. It was the perfect combination of workrate and babyface/heel dynamics. I have no clue which Japanese girl is which and in fairness I have a hard time keeping track of the Glamour Girls. I just know Judy Martin as the woman with the Kick of Fear! The babyface shine is so amazing and in 1987 it was  downright revolutionary. This is my point that it is not about the moves, it is about the energy and emotion. The moves the Jumping Bomb Angels used here would be passe now, but what makes this timeless is the energy and excitement with which they are hit. Those flying high knees and crossbodys are hit with such vigor that you are pumping your fist with all these New Yorkers. New York loses its shit for the top rope kneedrop and then top rope lucha armdrag. It was exhilarating. The Glamour Girls were great at stooging and acting discombobulated with all the powdering. They were also good at attacking first and forcing the Jumping Bomb Angels to overcome their offense. The transition to heat was great with one of the Jumping Bomb Angels missing a HUGE Top Rope Senton. The Glamour Girls were the perfect heels once they got control they stuck with hair pulling and choking.  This heat segment had all the trappings of a great tag team match. Man, New York lost its shit on the false hot tag. They were pissed. They got even louder when one Jumping Bomb Angel saved the other from the Scorpion Deathlock. The ref held her back and that Angel was just going off on the ref. The crowd was molten hot! I love how into the match the Japanese girls were they. They really sold their emotional investment. Lots of good hope spots that kept you believing. I liked the ankle pick and all the roll ups. The best were the bridges out of the pins it really put over the strength and athleticism of the Jumping Bomb Angels. The Glamour Girls go for a JBA Sammich but the Japanese girl ducks and The Glamour Girls collides. HOT TAG! OH SHIT! Its on! I loved the stereo bridges out of the pin attempts and then throwing the Glamour Girls together. DOUBLE MISSILE DROPKICK! MSG LOST THEIR FUCKING MINDS! I AM RIGHT THERE WITH THEM! JBA COUNTS WITH HER OWN HAND! 1-2-3! IT DOESNT COUNT! 1-2-JUDY MARTIN BREAKS IT UP AND POWERBOMB! POWER-FUCKING-BOMB! 1-2-3 for the Glamour Girls! WOW! 

There is some sloppiness in the JBA's offense and the rollup constantly being the hope spot got a little old, but still HOLY SHIT WOW! The energy level was great, I loved the heat segment and that finish run is one of the best all time. This is a pretty famous match, but if you have not watched it, you got to do it. It is definitely one of the 100 best WWF matches of all time.